Protesters to hold news conference in wake of eviction notice

BURNABY, B.C. – Protesters at an anti-pipeline camp in Burnaby, B.C., are set to hold a news conference to relay their side of the story this morning, instead of complying with an eviction notice handed down by the city.

The City of Burnaby issued a 72-hour notice to those occupying “Camp Cloud” on Wednesday, but protesters have said that three days was not enough time to comply with concerns raised over safety.

The protesters say the city’s notice was issued without adequate consideration of a recent court decision or consultation with camp residents.

The B.C. Supreme Court ruled in March that both the camp and a nearby watch house could remain in place in response to a court injunction filed by Kinder Morgan Canada Ltd., the company behind the Trans Mountain expansion project.

Demonstrators are angry over the expansion of the pipeline between Alberta and B.C. that would triple its capacity to carry bitumen destined for export.

In May, the federal government announced it would buy the pipeline in an effort to see the expansion completed.

But city manager Lambert Chu says the eviction notice was issued because of concerns about safety and how the footprint of the site has grown to include a two-storey house and showers.